Crean Lutheran pitcher leads softball team to national title game

Anna Bjorklund fires a pitch during the national tourney.

Anna Bjorklund, a sophomore at Crean Lutheran in Irvine, led her club softball team to the PGF national championship game in the Platinum division over the summer.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo.

The OC Batbusters went undefeated with Bjorklund throwing 33 innings in eight out of 10 games. She held her opponents to only four runs, with 19 strikeouts and had an ERA of .87. With a strike percentage of just over .600, she had seven wins and one loss.

Bjorklund is most known for her change-up which was clocked this past spring at 20 mph off speed from her drop curve (clocked at 60 mph in April). Her rise ball was also very effective as she moved the ball throughout the zone. Her command of mixing pitches and speeds makes her a stand out pitcher.

PGF is the Premier Girls Fastpitch national tournament, the most prestigious and competitive tournament in travel softball. The top teams from around the country compete in qualifiers for the chance to play in the national championship tournament. More than 65 teams made it to the tournament with Bjorklund’s team going undefeated in their bracket and making it to the championship game.

The team was runner-up for the national title. Flo Softball televised the game.

Bjorklund also plays tennis for Crean Lutheran.